Snow ploughs and like surface scraping appliances



G. BROCK April 10, 1962 SNOW PLOUGHS AND LIKE SURFACE SCRAPING APPLIANCES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1960 G. BROCK SNOW PLOUGHS AND LIKE SURFACE SCRAPING APPLIANCES Filed March 24, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 10, 1962 G. BROCK 3,028,692

SNOW PLOUGHS AND LIKE SURFACE SCRAPING APPLIANCES Filed March 24, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

April 10, 1962 G. BROCK 3,028,692

SNOW PLOUGHS AND LIKE SURFACE SCRAPING APPLIANCES Filed March 24, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 nited rates atent 3,028,692 SNOW PLOUGHS AND LIKE SURFACE SCRAPING APPLIANCES George Brock, 45 Corstorphine Road, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland Filed Mar. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 17,329 2 Claims. (Cl. 37-42) This invention has reference to snow ploughs and like surface scraping appliances and particularly to such appliances adapted to be connected to a motor driven vehicle or other power source.

In snow ploughs of this kind as previously constructed it has been found that the plough is very liable to damage by contact of the mould board with the curbs of pavements or with other obstacles and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide improvements whereby damage to the plough or vehicle will not arise from this source.

According to the present invention a mould board for a snow plough or other surface scraping appliance comprises a transverse scraper supporting member and a rubber or like scraper secured to said member, the scraper extending downwardly beyond the foot of. the supporting member and also extending outwardly beyond the ends of the member, the lower projecting edge of the scraper being effective throughout its length and the projecting ends being such that they will yield if they should encounter curbs or other obstacles and thereby protect the ends of the supporting member or vehicle from damage.

The invention further consists in a mould board as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the longitudinal edges thereof are bevelled.

Further the scraping edge or edges of the rubber or like mould board may be provided with a longitudinally extending channel, or channels, to give greater flexibility thereto.

Alternatively said edge, or edges, may be provided with a series of slots extending from front to rear at an angle to the face of the mould board.

The mould board may be formed of a central longitudinally extending rubber part which is secured to the supporting member and upper and lower longitudinal extensions bonded thereto, said extensions being formed of a quality of rubber which will stand up to the wear and tear to which they are subjected, the centre portion being of a relatively hard and inexpensive rubber.

If desired one of the longitudinal extensions may be of a hard rubber and the other of a relatively soft rubber either of which can be made the scraping edge as may be desired.

Further the mould board may be reinforced by metal plates or shoes.

The leading face of the mould board may be of transverse concave formation.

The improved mould board may be mounted on a supporting shaft so that it can be adjusted to and locked at any desired angle to the centre line of the shaft, the shaft being for connection to a mould board carrying structure adapted to be connected to a motor driven vehicle.

The invention still further consists in a snow plough or other surface scraping device comprising a structure for attachment to a motor driven vehicle and provided with a socket, a shaft fitted in said socket so that it can partake of a limited rotary movement therein and a mould board as set forth in any of the preceding paragraphs car n'ed by said shaft so that it can be adjusted to and locked at iny desired angle with respect to the centre line of the sha t.

In a development of the scraping appliance as set forth in the preceding paragraph two mould boards are provided each capable of independent adjustment and so arranged that they can be set to V formation.

The supporting shaft or the like may be coupled to the supporting structure for attachment to a motor driven vehicle or other power source in such manner that the mould board can rock in a vertical plane to accommodate itself to the surface being scraped.

A snow plough or other surface scraping appliance may have a single mould board or be provided with a pair of mould boards and in the latter case the mould boards may be mounted in V formation and, if desired, they may be so mounted that the apex of the V formation is leading or trailing.

The invention will now be described with reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a mould board in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear view thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a front view thereof;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are cross sections of different constructions of mould boards;

FIGURE 7 is an elevation of part of a further construction of mould board; and

FIGURE 8 is an obverse plan thereof;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of one construction of snow plough or other surface scraping appliance embodying one mould board;

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of another construction of snow plough or other surface scraping appliance embodying two mould boards;

FIGURE 11 is a front elevation of the appliance shown in FIGURE 10; and

FIGURE 12 is a side view thereof;

FIGURE 13 is an elevation of a snow plough or other scraping device in accordance with the invention applied to the three point linkage of a tractor;

FIGURE 14 is a plan view thereof;

FIGURE 15 is an end view thereof; and

FIGURE 16 is a plan view of a further construction of surface scraping appliance in accordance with the invention. The mould board device shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 comprises a rectangular length of rubber 20 which is sandwiched between a rigid supporting member 21 and a plate 22, the rubber projecting substantially above and below said member and plate to form resilient scraping edges and also extending beyond the ends thereof to form resilient ends. Said ends may extend, for example, about nine inches beyond the ends of its supporting member. The scraping edges may be bevelled at 23.

Further one or both of the scraping edges may be provided with a longitudinally extending channel 24 as shown in FIGURE 5 to give increased flexibility thereto.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 one or both edges may be provided with angled slots 25.

The mould board shown in FIGURE 5 is formed of a centre body part 26 of a hard and inexpensive rubber which part is secured to the supporting member 21 and upper and lower extensions 27 and 28 of a quality of rubber which will stand up to the wear and tear to which they are subjected. One of said extensions may be of a rubber which is substantially harder than the rubber forming the other extension. In consequence there is a choice of scraping edges so that the one most suitable for the surface to be scraped can be brought into operation.

The mould board shown in FIGURE 6 is provided with a concave leading face which maybe desirable in scraping certain surfaces.

To the supporting member 21 is secured a semicircular plate 29 having a series of circumferentially arranged holes 30. This plate is embraced by a pair of arms 31 and pivots on a pin 32 passing through the arms near their free ends. A locking pin 33 inserted through one of the holes and through aligned holes in said arms serves to hold the mould board at any desired angle to the centre line of the shaft. The chain dotted lines in FIGURES 9 and show the mould boards adjusted to alternative positions. Said arms are secured to a short shaft 34 having a hole extending diametrically therethrough.

The fabricated structure shown in FIGURE 9 by which the mould board is attached to a motor driven vehicle consists of a pair of legs 35 which form two sides of a triangle, the third side 36 consisting of a bar secured to or forming part of the vehicle. Said legs at their apex are welded or otherwise secured to a sleeve or socket 37 of such dimensions that it snugly receives the shaft 34. The sleeve is provided with diametrically opposite circumferential slots 37a and a locking pin 38 passing through said slots and the diametrical hole in the shaft retains the shaft in position while permitting a limited rotary movement thereof and therefore allowing the mould board to tilt in a vertical plane about the axis of the shaft.

The two legs are connected at their free ends to the bar 36 or other part of the vehicle by hinge pins 39 so that said legs can articulate in a vertical plane and thereby permit the mould board to rise and fall to suit the surface being scraped.

When used as a snow plough the mould board is set at an appropriate angle to the line of travel so that it will deliver the snow to the side. Further the mould board is so fitted that either of the scraping edges is brought into operation. The particular edge seiected will depend on the nature of the snow. If a flexible edge is desired the more fiexible or the channelled or slotted scraping edge is brought into operation.

In the scraping appliance shown in FIGURES 10 to 12 the socket or sleeve 37 receives a short shaft 40 to which is secured a transverse tubular member 41 each end of which constitutes a socket to receive a short shaft 34 of a mould board constructed as shown in FIGURES 1 to 4. The two mould boards can be set and locked in the V formation shown in full lines in FIGURE 10 or they may be turned to the position indicated in chain dotted lines in which position they deliver to the gap formed between their rear ends.

In such scraping appliance the mould boards can partake of a rising and falling movement by virtue of the legs being secured to a bar or to a vehicle by the hinge pins. Further by reason of the short shaft having a limited rotary movement in the socket the two mould boards can tilt as a unit about the centre line of the shaft. Also each mould board is capable of independent adjustment about the centre lines of its shaft 34.

In the appliance shown in FIGURES 13 to 15 the two legs at their free ends are adapted for a connection to the hydraulically operated lift arms of a tractor a-nd an upright structure 42 secured to the legs is adapted for connection to the top link of a three point linkage.

The sleeve or socket 37 has fitted therein a short shaft 43 secured by a downwardly and rearwardly extending member 44 to a socket or sleeve 45 in which is fitted the short shaft 34 carrying the mould board which is constructed as set forth in FIGURES 1 to 4.

The mould board can tilt in a vertical plane about the axis of the shaft 34. Further the mould board can be raised and lowered as a unit by the usual power lift of the three point linkage.

In a still further construction of appliance in accordance with the invention a plurality of mould boards as set forth in FIGURES l to 4, or modified in accordance with FIGURES 5 to 8, are arranged in horizontal parallel overlapping formation each device being supported so that it can partake of a partial rotary movement about the axis of its short shaft. In such appliances the mould boards will adjust themselves automatically to the camber of the surface being scraped. Such appliance is shown in FIGURE 16 wherein 41 designates a sub-frame of known construction which is adapted to be underslung on a vehicle chassis. The frame, at its forward end, is formed with an end member 42 set at an angle to the centre line of the frame and said member carries a plurality of sockets or sleeves 43 adapted to receive the short shafts 34 of scraping units as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The mould board of each unit automatically adjusts itself to the contour of the surface being scraped.

It will be noted that in the various appliances herein described and shown in the drawings the mould board and the means by which it is adjust-ably supported by the short shaft 34 is common to all and that the supporting structures are fitted with one or more sleeves or sockets to receive the short shaft or shafts.

It will be understood that a scraping appliance in accordance with the invention may be used for many purposes other than as a snow plough. Thus, it may be used for scraping the deck or hold of a ship, for scraping the ground, and displacing earth, refuse or the like.

In certain cases the mould board with concave face is admirably adapted to roll over and laterally displace the snow, slush, earth or the like scraped up by the mould board.

What I claim is:

1. A road surface scraping appliance comprising a structure adapted for attachment to a motor driven vehicle and provided with a socket, a shaft fitted in said socket so that it can partake of a free limited rotary movement therein a mould board supporting member carried by the shaft, a mould board carried by said supporting member, and means whereby the mould board supporting member can be adjusted to and locked at any desired angle with respect to the centre line of the shaft, said limited rotary movement permitting the mould board to adjust itself to the camber of the road surface, said mould board being formed of rubber and sandwiched between the supporting member and a transverse bar, the rubber mould board extending downwards beyond the transverse support and bar so that it can yield to obstructions in its path and also projecting beyond the ends of the supporting member and bar, the projecting ends being such that they will yield if they should encounter curbs or other obstacles and thereby protect the surface scraping appliance.

2. A road surface scraping appliance comprising a structure adapted for attachment to a motor driven vehicle and provided with a socket, a shaft fitted in said socket, a cross member carried by the shaft, sa d member having aligned sockets, aligned shafts fitted in the aligned sockets of said cross members so as to be capable of a free limited rotary movement therein, a mould board support carried by each of the aligned shafts to means by which the supports can be locked at any desired angle with respect to the centre line of the first mentioned shaft, mould boards formed of rubber and sandwiched between the supports and transversely extending bars, each rubber mould board extending downwards beyond the transverse support and bar so that it can yield to obstructions in its path and also projecting beyond the ends of the support, the projecting ends being such that they will yield if they should encounter curbs or other obstacles and thereby protect the scraping appliance and vehicle to which it is attached, while the. free limited rotary movement of the aligned shafts permit the mould boards to adjust themselves to the camber of the roads.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mason 1- Aug. 20, 1918 Brown Nov. 4, 1924 Schacht Feb. 21, 1933 Browett Feb. 13, 1934 10 Meyer Nov. 24, 1936 Siemund Mar. 12, 1940 Oberti Feb. 17, 1942 Pyne Feb. 26, 1952 Adams et a1 Mar. 25, 1952 Ewers Mar. 3, 1953 Collins Apr. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 20, 1917 France Jan. 4, 1940 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1942 

